was cut, they placed the splinter to be worked over it, and by pressing gently along the margin vertically, first on one side, then the other, as one would set a saw, they splintered off alternate fragments, until the object, thus properly outlined, presented the spear or arrow-head form, with two cutting serrated sides." A very similar account is also given by Lieutenant Beckwith of the method used by the North American Indians;[1] among whom certain men devoted themselves specially to the manufacture of arrow-heads.[2]
Fig. 100.—Polished stone gouge. Bergen Museum.
|
| |
| Fig. 101.—Head of New Caledonian javelin, one-half of actual size. In my own collection. | Fig. 102.—New Caledonian javelin, one-sixth actual size. In my own collection. |
Many of the ruder flint flakes were, no doubt, as Sir John Evans has suggested, used for strike o' lights.
Next to flint flakes, the axes, wedges, or celts are, perhaps, of most importance. The largest and finest specimens are found in Denmark; one in my possession, of beautiful white flint, is 13 in. long, 112 in. thick, and 312 in. in breadth. The Seeland axes have very often, indeed generally, perpendicular sides; in Jutland many have sloping sides; this is also usually the case in other parts of North-Western Europe. Fig. 103, and a very large
